


Scott and the Station Cat

by starconvoy



Category: The Railway Series - W. Awdry, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Stray Cat, Train Station
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 01:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17355989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starconvoy/pseuds/starconvoy
Summary: Loosely based on the video of the boy begging his mother to let him keep this stray cat he found, only it's Scott and his big brother North. humansof-york.tumblr.com





	Scott and the Station Cat

_London–_

Scott struggled to keep up with North’s long strides as they made their way across the big city. So many people to see, so many sights to see…Scott was amazed by it all. Every so often, North would pause and glance over his shoulder to make sure his little brother was behind him.

“Scotty, keep up. I don’t want to lose you.”

Scott would run as fast as he could to catch up with North, only to end up several steps behind again. After several rounds of this happening, Scott was out of breath.

“North! Can’t you just carry me?”

North stopped and looked down at Scott who stood with his hands on his knees, panting.

“You’re a big lad, Scotty, you should be able to keep up. And besides,” he said, turning away. “You’re too heavy for me to carry.”

Scott didn’t like the sound of that, but he knew that there was no arguing with his brother.

It wasn’t long before they were close to the station. The train leaving for Doncaster wasn’t due to leave for another hour, but North had insisted they get there early to avoid any last-minute rushes.

The two sat down at a bench and began the wait. North pulled out his newspaper he’d been carrying under his arm and began to read. Scott took in all the sights and smells of the station: porters carrying bags for passengers, the steam and smoke from the engines, the shrill whistles of the guards before the engine opened its valves and departed.

It wasn’t long, however, before Scott found himself becoming incredibly bored. He got up and began to walk about, watching as people got off and on the trains.

“Don’t stray far, Scotty,” North said, watching him.

Scott didn’t respond. Something had caught his eye: a flash of orange that quickly disappeared behind a corner near the support of the station wall. Scott followed it, absolutely entranced.

He rounded the corner and saw a rather sad looking cat crouched on the ground. It whipped its head around as soon as it saw him, it’s green eyes flashing with fear, and darted away. Scott took off after it as it ran further down the platform.

Due to the crowds, it was difficult to follow, but Scott soon found the cat cornered by people standing in line for tickets. He reached out quickly and grabbed it. Its fur was surprisingly soft for a stray.

The cat meowed and squirmed, but Scott kept his grip on it. He’d always wanted a cat but North had refused each time Scott had asked him. Maybe this time, he wouldn’t object, seeing as Scott had gotten the cat himself.

He carried the squirming creature back to the bench where North was sitting.

“Look North!”

North put his newspaper down and his eyes widened before quickly shaking his head.

“No, Scott. Put it down.”

“But North, you know I’ve always wanted one!”

“Scott, I said no. Put the cat down.”

Scott could feel the frustration welling in his chest. The cat, despite being very soft, was thin and looked hungry. Scott looked down at it before looking at his brother again.

“North, please,” he began, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

“Put. It. Down.” North replied, growing frustrated. “It lives in the station. We’re not bringing home a cat from the station.”

“He doesn’t live in the station!” Scott cried as tears began to fall down his face. “He doesn’t! Look at him!”

The cat meowed but had given up squirming at that point. Scott hugged it close to his chest as he began to cry harder.

“He’s a stray, Scott. And we don’t need a cat!” North could feel people beginning to stare as Scott continued to cry. He was determined not to give in this time.

“Where will he live? What will he eat? He’s hungry!” Scott cried. He pressed his face into the cat’s neck and North cringed, hoping the cat didn’t have fleas.

“He lives in the station or on the street, Scott. He doesn’t belong in our home. Put him down!” North hadn’t even realized he too had begun to refer to the cat as a “he” despite not knowing much about the cat.

“The poor cat,” Scott said quietly through his tears. “He’s going to be cold and hungry unless we take him home. Please, North!!”

North shook his head while folding up his newspaper. He glanced quickly at the station clock: twenty minutes until their train was due. Looking at Scott again, he felt himself begin to grow desperate.

“Scott, listen to me, you don’t need a cat. Besides, you don’t know what that cat has been in! It could have fleas or mange—”

“No!” Scott roared, earning him the surprised looks from several people walking by. “He’s not dirty!! He needs a home!”

Time was ticking and North was running out of options. Scott was too stubborn for his own good but at this point, North wasn’t sure what would happen if they brought the cat back to Doncaster.

“Scott, I’m not going to say this again. Put. It. Down.”

“NO!” He cried even harder at this point, his face bright red as he hugged the cat close. It seemed more interested in escaping from his arms as it glanced every which way around the station, but had not made any attempts to claw at the boy or jump. North was grateful for that, if anything.

Suddenly a train pulled into the station. It was fifteen minutes early.  _As usual,_ North thought.

Looking down at Scott again, he heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head.

“Fine! Fine…we’ll bring the cat home. But  _you_  are going to be responsible for it, Scotty. I will help you but it’s your job to feed and take care of it.”

Scott’s face lit up through the sheen of tears.

_God, I hope that thing doesn’t have fleas,_ North thought to himself later as they were finding seats. Scott had put the cat in his lap and was petting it lovingly. It was the happiest North had seen him and he couldn’t help but give a small smile.

_Scotty, you are something…_


End file.
